With the weather continuing to be crazy hot in most of the country (a woman in New Hampshire baked cookies on the dashboard of her RAV4 for her co-workers), the thought of “chocolate” brings up an image of a melted mess.
While the smartphone market was relatively quiet this week, from a new product standpoint, the music phone category gained a new entrant: LGÂ’s
Chocolate. This phone is aimed squarely at the elusive iPod market. Good luck with that one fellas! For great overall functionality, just add Pocket Tunes Deluxe (see review below) to your Treo and youÂ’ll truly be rockinÂ’. So letÂ’s Talk Treo!
Palm News
Palm Exec TalkinÂ’ at Upcoming Conferences
Palm announced that next week, they will be participating in two different financial conferences:
On Monday, August 7, PalmÂ’s CFO, Andrew Brown, will be speaking at the Pacific Crest Technology Forum.
On Wednesday, August 9, he will be at the RBC Capital Markets North American Technology Conference.
Follow the link above for details on how to tap into the webcasts of these events.
Mossberg’s Mailbox – Talkin’ 700p & 700w
In ThursdayÂ’s Wall Street Journal, Walt Mossberg answers a question about the difference between the Treo 700p and the Treo 700w. He remarks:
“I have reviewed both devices, and I find that the Windows Mobile software on the 700w is considerably inferior to the Palm operating system software on the 700p. Too many common actions in the Windows version take more steps than the same actions on the Palm OS version, and often require navigating menus. You are likely to use the stylus more often in the Windows version as well.”
You might want to read the full assessment by Mossberg on the Treo 700p and of the Treo 700w.
WhoÂ’s Talkin Treo 700p?
Everything TreoÂ’s Christopher Meinck gave the Treo 700p a 4 out of 5 stars. He writes:
“The Palm Treo 700p is an evolutionary product rather than revolutionary and outside of marketing reasons, this smartphone should have been tabbed the Palm Treo 675. The 700p builds upon a highly successful Palm Treo 650 with an improved software bundle, support for EvDO and subtle but noticeable improvements in the interface. Despite lacking WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0, the Palm Treo 700p still sets the standard when it comes to smartphones. Unless you crave EvDO, current Palm Treo 650 owners can wait on the sideline until the next incremental release. If you're considering a Treo smartphone purchase, it simply doesn't get better than the Palm Treo 700p. It's fast, stable and simply a great smartphone.”
Is the 700p Vacation Worthy?
ComputerworldÂ’s Michelle Johnson asks this question in her recent review:
“But is Treo 700p vacation-worthy? (Tip: When your significant other frowns about you bringing a gadget on vacation, repeat the following line: "But honey, it takes pictures and video, too!")
Indeed, I found the Treo 700p's 1.3-megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom and camcorder easy and fun to use. The device's 2.5-in., 320-by-320-pixel, 65,000-color display makes a great viewfinder for shooting stills and video as well as playing back multimedia slide shows.”
Travelers Prefer Treos?
Vacations aside, Matthew Miller, in his The Mobile Gadgeteer blog ponders travelers and Treos in general. He writes:
“I just returned from a short business trip to New Orleans and while traveling in the airport and on the airplanes I saw many mobile devices. The funny thing is that something like 95% of the devices I saw and heard (that default ring is distinctive) were Treo devices….”
Follow the link above to read the rest of his thoughts on this.
Brighthand Lists JulyÂ’s Most Popular PDAs/Smartphones
For the month of July, Brighthand shows the Treo 700p moving up a notch to #7 in their most popular PDA/Smartphones list. The Treo 650 remains at #9 and the Treo 700w has fallen off the Top 10 list.
Recent TreoCentral Guides, Reviews & More
“If you're like me and have a huge collection of vinyl and tapes you're aching to digitize and preserve as MP3s, or you're a podcaster, or DJ, I think you'll love the iKey. It wouldn't be hard to think of a hundred ways to use it. The upcoming Plus version answers every little nit I could pick with the current model, but again, it'll be a while before it hits store shelves. So grab this one now and enjoy. When the Plus comes along, just sell the original or give it to a friend if you want the Plus model's additional features.”
In this third part of the “Hidden Treasure” series on the PalmOS Treos’ (650 and 700p) extra calculators, Jay documents the two remaining calculators, plus the four units converters.
News & Reviews from Elsewhere in the Treo Community
Does Rubber Rock?
Andrew at Treonauts checks out the new Smartphone Experts Treo 650 RB1 Rubberized Fit Case. He writes:
“Overall, if you’re looking for a great, simple and affordable way to protect your Treo while transforming it with a rubberized look then there’s no doubt that you will be absolutely delighted with the new RB1 Rubberized Fit case.
Music to My Ears: Pocket Tunes Deluxe
MyTreo.net reviewer, Sion Phillips, states:
“I think PTunes (Pocket Tunes) Deluxe is the best music player for the Treo. With options like background play, Internet radio and volume boost, it's a highly functional piece of software that meets all my music needs.”
Download it here.
Easy as Treo Remote
Derek Simmerman checks out EzRemote, a program that lets you use your Treo to control your PC. He writes:
“EzRemote is a useful application, especially for those who use Treos extensively for business and travel. Having the ability to access your computer from just about anywhere in the world may eliminate the need for some people to carry a laptop. Also, you should try it out for no other reason than to wow your self, friends and co-workers!
Compared to similar applications, EzRemote is a steal at $24.95 and works with Windows XP, Windows NT, and Windows Server 2003.”
My Treo Gets Phat
PhatWare Corporation just announced the release of PhatSketch, its first game for Microsoft Windows Mobile powered smartphones. PhatSketch allows users to create drawings using the phone's numeric keypad or the full keyboard to draw diagonal lines, lines with arrows, curves and circles by connecting "markers" that can be set as users draw lines or move the cursor.
Endnotes & Ponderables
ThatÂ’s Entertainment?!
There were two recent stories that caught my eye.
The first one talks about how Toyota is spending more than $10 million to create and promote a comedy series designed specifically for multimedia mobile phones. The effort will feature the 2007 Camry. The program's creators claim it's the first branded entertainment series created for the video-phone medium.
Meanwhile, the folks at GE (NBC) are betting that fans of the Emmy-nominated weekly series, The Office will want to be playing Office, the Game on their Treo (or other cell phone) on the way to and from the office.
Okay, I made up the last part. Still, it’s pretty clear that marketers are eager to find creative ways to hook the mobile masses. Makes the whole text thing I wrote about recently seem so passé. Oh well.
ThatÂ’s a wrap!
